Douglas Wilson on the Giving of Offense and Biblical Satire
Captain Sensible writes: I am loving Douglas Wilson's "A Serrated Edge" (Canon Press). Rather than attempt to sum up its contents (difficult anyway, as I haven't completed it yet!), here is the back cover blurb:
"Satire is a kind of preaching
Satire pervades Scripture
Satire treats the foibles of sinners with a less than perfect tenderness
"But if a Christian employs satire today, he is almost immediately called to account for his 'unbiblical' behavior. Yet Scripture shows that the central point of some religious controversies is to give offense. When Christ was confronted with ecclesiastical obstinacy and other forms of arrogance, he showed us a godly pattern for giving offense.
"In every controversy, godliness and wisdom (or the lack of them) are to be determined by careful appeal to the Scriptures and not to the fact of people having taken offense. Perhaps they ought to have taken offense, and perhaps someone ought to have endeavored to give it."
I love this example in the opening chapter: "Suppose a man were to refer to certain respected theologians dismissively as having graduated from Bag of Snakes Seminary. He would instantly be upbraided for his un-Christlike behavior. Unfortunately for the one delivering the rebuke, it was discovered shortly thereafter that the speaker was Christ. (Matthew 23:33)"
Douglas Wilson is pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine.
"Satire is a kind of preaching
Satire pervades Scripture
Satire treats the foibles of sinners with a less than perfect tenderness
"But if a Christian employs satire today, he is almost immediately called to account for his 'unbiblical' behavior. Yet Scripture shows that the central point of some religious controversies is to give offense. When Christ was confronted with ecclesiastical obstinacy and other forms of arrogance, he showed us a godly pattern for giving offense.
"In every controversy, godliness and wisdom (or the lack of them) are to be determined by careful appeal to the Scriptures and not to the fact of people having taken offense. Perhaps they ought to have taken offense, and perhaps someone ought to have endeavored to give it."
I love this example in the opening chapter: "Suppose a man were to refer to certain respected theologians dismissively as having graduated from Bag of Snakes Seminary. He would instantly be upbraided for his un-Christlike behavior. Unfortunately for the one delivering the rebuke, it was discovered shortly thereafter that the speaker was Christ. (Matthew 23:33)"
Douglas Wilson is pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho, and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine.
posted by Captain Sensible at 2:57 AM
1 Comments:
This is an excellent point. A lot of Christians don't grasp that Jesus often spoke in hyperbole to make a point, and so they often end up claiming ridiculous meanings because they are trying so hard to analyze every verse alone, divorced from any sort of context.
Frieda Fruitcake is a hilarious use of hyperbole--have you been criticized about having her around?
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